Several cultural organizations will observe today the fourth death anniversary of Tareque Masud, one of the pioneers of the new wave of filmmaking in Bangladesh in the 1990s, who died this day in 2011 in a road accident along with his four colleagues including the renowned cinematographer Mishuk Munier.
Masud’s feature-length film Runway and short Narosundor will be screened at the festival. One of the most significant and influential filmmakers in the history of Bangladesh, Masud’s contribution to the film industry is manifold and far-reaching.
Born on December 6 in 1956 in Faridpur, Tareque Masud got involved with the film society movement in the late 1970s. He made his first film Adam Surat, a documentary on the legendary artist SM Sultan, in 1989.
In 1995, he along with his wife Catherine Masud made the highly acclaimed feature-length documentary on the war of independence titled Muktir Gaan, which attained the stature of a cult classic in the subsequent years.
It was, however, his full-length feature film Matir Moyna, again co-directed with his wife, which brought him international recognition. The film won one of the top awards at a special event called the Directors’ Fortnight at the International Critics’ Week that ran alongside the main festival in the city of Cannes in Southern France.
It also participated in the OSCARS as the first Bangladeshi film in the same year.
The film, a revisiting of Masud’s own past as a madrassa student addressing the Bangali-Muslim identity crisis, is itself a major event in the contemporary history of independent Bangla film.
He again approached the identity issue, from an entirely different angle this time, in his 2006 acclaimed film Ontorjatra (Inner Journey).
In his last feature, Runaway, Tareque revisited another of his favourite issues – the growing trend of fundamentalism and intolerance in the country.
Besides the features, the filmmaker has a number of critically acclaimed documentaries including Muktir Kotha (Words of Freedom) (1999), Narir Kotha (Women and War) (2000), Kansater Pothey (2008), and Naroshundor (The Barbershop) (2009) to his credit.
Tareque Masud was also the co-founder of an alternative filmmakers’ forum in Dhaka and ultimately became the central figure of alternative cine movement in Bangladesh.
This year, the commemorations will be led by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh (FFSB) who have taken initiatives to mark the day through discussions and a film screening session at the Music and Dance Centre of the academy.
Elsewhere, Tareque Masud Memorial Trust, dedicated to the memory of the filmmaker, will be observing the anniversary with a special commemorative event at Tareque’s home village in Faridpur.
The programme will be held in front of his house in Nurpur village. The daylong event will start at 10am with the placement of wreath at his grave. A discussion programme will begin at 3pm, with participation from local cultural personalities, educational leaders and administrative officials.
They will be joined by the trust’s chairwoman Catherine Masud, rights activist Khushi Kabir and artists Dhali Al Mamoon and Dilara Jolly. At 7pm the same day, a film screening will be held, featuring Sritikotha Runway (Remembering Runway) and Adam Surot (The Inner Strength).
In addition to the main programme, a brief ceremony will be held at the Joy Bangla Crossing in Nagarkanda to inaugurate a memorial statue dedicated in Tareque Masud’s memory.
Tareque Masud’s mother Nurun Nahar will inaugurate the monument, while local Member of Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury and Catherine Masud will attend the ceremony as special guests.
-With New Age input
